‘Visiting the dentist, brushing for two minutes and daily flossing can make a huge impact on your oral health so it’s a shame to see so many people skipping these all important tasks.

‘Good dental care doesn’t have to be a chore and dental decay is completely preventable with regular check-ups and simple changes to your daily routine.’

Skipping brushing

A quarter (22%) of Brits skip brushing their teeth if they’re in a rush, the survey found.

And a third of Brits (34%) never floss or visit their hygienist (33%).

The worst performing area for brushing their teeth was London, with 43% admitting they skip brushing when in a rush.

‘As humans, we are creatures of habit – so even though small changes to our oral health routine sound easy on paper, it’s not always that straightforward to change patterns we’ve developed over a lifetime,’ Juliet Hodges, senior behaviour change adviser at Bupa, says.

‘However, there’s plenty of things you can do to make the process easier and eventually these positive changes will become second nature.

‘If remembering to floss is something you struggle with, one of the easiest things to do is set yourself a reminder.

‘If you know you rush your brushing, try timing yourself.

‘Whatever techniques you try, remember that consistency is the key.

‘When you do something consistently over a period of time, the behaviour starts to become automatic and you are therefore much more likely to continue with it long term.’